Turf Replacement Program

Now accepting applications for incentives!

Welcome to the San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Turf Replacement Program. We created this website to help our valued customers replace water-thirsty lawns with beautiful WaterSmart landscapes that are in harmony with our region.

Using water efficiently is a way of life in San Diego County and an important responsibility that comes with living in the beautiful Mediterranean climate that we enjoy. Working together, we can help ensure a reliable water supply while keeping the region prosperous and naturally beautiful for generations to come.

WaterSmart Landscapes provide a number of important benefits.They include:

Saving Water

WaterSmart landscapes can use about 70% less water than traditional landscaping.

Auction.com and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) are joining forces to advance sustainable Hispanic homeownership.

Hispanic homebuyers are the largest segment of new homebuyers nationwide.

“As a national leader in the sale of homes in all stages of the foreclosure process, Auction.com has an extensive portfolio of properties that greatly expands buyers’ purchasing power. We want agents and buyers in Hispanic communities to be aware of these opportunities and have a level of comfort with the auction process,” said Auction.com CEO and co-founder, Jeff Frieden.

The partnership will support educational campaigns that target residential brokers and buyers. Additionally, NAHREP will offer advice on accessing opportunities available through Auction.com, and serve as a referral service that connects buyers and agents to homes available on Auction.com.

“Access to affordable housing stock is a primary barrier to Hispanic homeownership and the presence of large institutional investors in key markets has made the issue more challenging. As Auction.com continues to reinvent the way real estate is transacted, it’s key that Hispanic agents and buyers understand the process and know how to participate,” said NAHREP CEO, Gary Acosta. “This partnership will help NAHREP support potential Hispanic homebuyers by educating them on the thousands of ownership opportunities exclusively available through Auction.com.”

The partnership agreement between Auction.com and NAHREP also includes extensive joint marketing plans.

Consumers apparently haven’t gotten the memo that mortgage standards are tightening, if responses toFannie Mae’s January National Housing Survey are any indication.

Fifty-two percent of respondents in the company’s latest survey said they think it would be easy to get a mortgage today, reflecting a climb of 2 percentage points. The number of consumers saying it would be difficult to obtain a loan fell 3 points, meanwhile, dropping to 45 percent.

“For the first time in the National Housing Survey’s three-and-a-half-year history, the share of respondents who said it is easy to get a mortgage surpassed the 50-percent mark,” said Doug Duncan, SVP and chief economist at Fannie Mae. “The gradual upward trend in this indicator during the last few months bodes well for the housing recovery and may be contributing to this month’s increase in consumers’ intention to buy rather than rent their next home.”

The share of consumers who said they would buy if they moved climbed to an all-time survey high of 70 percent, while the share of those who would rent declined to an all-time low of 26 percent.

Respondents also seem reluctant to accept projections of rising mortgage rates over the year, with the share of those expecting increases dropping for the second straight month to 55 percent. Five percent said they expect rates to drop, up slightly from the December survey.

On the other hand, it appears more people have taken notice of reports of slowing home price gains. The share of consumers expecting home prices to increase in the next year fell 6 percentage points to 43 percent, while the share expecting prices to stay the same increased 7 percentage points to 45 percent.

The average 12-month home price change expectation was 2.0 percent, a dramatic decline from December’s prediction of 3.2 percent.

Duncan said that while the dip in price expectations was notable, it is “consistent with our view of moderating home price gains this year from a robust pace last year.”

Consumer attitudes about the economy also improved last month, even with disappointing employment data hanging over the country’s collective head. The share of consumers who believe the economy is on the right track climbed 8 percent points to 39 percent, while the share who said it’s on the wrong track fell to 54 percent.

Asked about their own personal financial situation, 44 percent of consumers expect things to improve (up from 42 percent in December), while only 14 percent said they’ll be worse off.